Planned outrage!
As the world’s anger is diverted temporarily towards Syria, the Jerusalem question has not gone away.
This is Jerusalem! Global outrage to be expected. “Why do the nations rage and the people imagine vanity? Kings of the earth set themselves, and rulers take counsel together, against YHWH and His anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear off their shackles, and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens mocks: YHWH derides them. Then He speaks to them in His wrath, and terrifies them in His fierce displeasure.” [Note His answer to this:] “Yet have I set [lit: poured out; by implication “anointed”] My king upon My holy hill of Zion.” (Psa. 2:1-6)
Responding to the USA ’s decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem, Russia’s President Putin, at a press conference with Turkey’s President Erdogan, said Trump’s move “destabilizes the already difficult situation in the region,”and may “finish prospects for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.” Erdogan then accused Israel of using Trump’s move “to ramp up oppression against Palestinians,”claiming, without proof, that over 2,000 were injured by the IDF. Erdogan’s venom against Israel has exploded recently. Netanyahu responded, “I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in Turkey, who jails reporters, who helps Iran skirt international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people.”(“Putin says US Jerusalem move may ‘finish prospects’ for peace deal,” TOI, 11 Dec. 2017)
Lebanese and Palestinians at a Beirut rally heard Hezbollah’s leader Nasrallah vow to focus his group back to”fighting Israel after years of fighting in Syria…” He hoped Trump’s “foolish decision” marks the”beginning of the end”of Israel (“Hezbollah: US Jerusalem decision beginning of the end for Israel,” Israel Hayom, 12 Dec. 2017).Iran’s Defense Minister also said Trump’s move “will hasten the destruction of the Zionist regime,”and Maj. Gen. Soleimani, head of Iran’s Quds Force that operates outside Iran’s borders, pledged “support for Palestinian Islamic resistance movements…”(“Iran: … Jerusalem move will hasten Israel’s destruction,” Israel Hayom, 12 Dec. 2017).The Organization of Islamic Cooperation[OIC] umbrella group of 57 Islamic nations gathered leaders and top officials in Turkey to devise a “unified Islamic position”against Trump’s “illegal decision.”OIC’s current president Erdogan called”world powers to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine,”and declared that Jerusalem “was a red line for Muslims.”
Palestinian reaction and the Trump tweet
At the OIC summit (above), PA President Abbas, whose term of office ended in 2009, labeled Trump’s move the “greatest crime,” “a flagrant violation of international law,”and added, “Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine.”He said the PA rejects “any role for the US in the ME peace process,” as it is “biased in favor of Israel.”(“PA leader: Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine,” Israel Hayom, 13 Dec. 2017).The White House responded, saying Abbas’ “volatile rhetoric and his regime’s ongoing incitement against Israel is what’s really preventing peace.” (“After Backing Israel, Trump Admin Engages in War of Words with Palestinian Leader,” Israel Today, 14 Dec. 2017)
In early 2018, President Trump threatened to cut off financial assistance to the PA, as “they were not interested in making peace with Israel.” He tweeted, “It’s not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing,”but other nations as well. For example, “we pay the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars a year and get no appreciation or respect.”Concerning peace talks, he added,”We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more.”Trump continued, “But with Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” (“Trump rails against Palestinians on Twitter, threatens to cut aid dollars,” JP, 2 Jan. 2017) It’s not clear what Trump meant “by having taken Jerusalem ‘off the table’,”since when he declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he said this “did not presume the final status of the city…”There is also a question as to what “Israel…would have had to pay more” really means. If he meant that without US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the cost to Israel would have been greater in blood and global condemnation – that is good. Yet he never did commit to Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided”capital. On the other hand, if Trump was saying that if the Palestinians would have remained in the “peace”talks, he would have required from Israel a high price for this recognition of Jerusalem, then that is bad. Yet whatever Trump meant, once again God watched over Israel in hardening Abbas’ heart to totally reject these talks under America’s cover (Psa. 121:4).
The Times of Israel’s Raphael Ahren says these tweets “provide fascinating insights” on how Trump views global relations”and the application of his ‘America First’ foreign policy in the ME. It’s all quid pro quo, a system of bilateral transactions in which the strongest player dominates weaker ones.”His”threat to withhold financial aid from the PA,” worries the Palestinians and some Israelis. Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, warned that the US could stop “funding the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency,”aka UNRWA, if the PA refused to negotiate with Israel. Despised as UNRWA is, it still”provides vital services to the most vulnerable Palestinians.”And if Trump implied that Israel will “‘pay more’ because of his Jerusalem declaration,” it is a concern that if the PA decides to rejoin US-sponsored talks, Bibi “will be asked to be especially forthcoming.”Yet this should not surprise those who see Trump’s logic. He’s always seen this Israeli-Palestinian conflict as solvable “by a good negotiator who knows how to get both sides to give and take. It’s the art of the deal…” (“Trump’s ME policy: Diplomatic Darwinism in the quest for ultimate deal,” R. Ahren, TOI Analysis, 3 Jan. 2017)
Answers to intercession?
Most of our prayers for Israel are not answered quickly – some not even in our lifetimes. They require “faith and patience”to see answers (Heb. 6:12). Recently, there were some encouraging signs for which we praise God and press on in prayer for the fulfillment.
Peace Process: Is this the end of the zombie “land-for-peace”process? Abbas is very clear that he no longer sees the US as an honest, unbiased broker, and has said the PA will reject “any peace plan proposed” by America, even if it is supported by “Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.”(“Palestinians: Arab Rulers are Traitors, Cowards,” Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute, 14 Dec. 2017).As of this writing, White House officials said the administration “has abandoned plans to offer a new framework”for peace talks because of the PA ‘s outrageous reaction to Trump’s Jerusalem move. An unnamed official said while the US was still committed to this, it would not force either side to the table.(“Report: Trump nixes ME peace plan after PA walks out,” Arutz 7, 25 Dec. 2017)
Iran: At the end of 2017, it was reported that “Israel and the US have devised a secret strategic plan to combat the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and its presence in Syria near Israel…”In Washington, “an Israeli delegation secretly met with an American team…to formulate a joint memorandum of understanding on the topic of Iran.” The agreed upon document translates Trump’s Oct. 13 decertification of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, “into a concrete plan of action…” Some threats that a joint task force will work on include “Iran’s growing presence in Syria,” with positions close to Israel, “and Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which both Israel and the US view as a clear threat.”Also agreed on was continued “covert cooperation” to halt “Iranian aggression”and Iran’s support for Hezbollah.(“Report: Israel, US devise secret plan to curb Iran threat,” Israel Hayom, 29 Dec. 2017)
The recent upheaval in Iranian society is a partial answer to our persistent prayers for God to shake that Shi’ite nation physically, spiritually, socially and politically. Note the timing: On Dec. 27th,”The Iranian parliament”voted 207 to none, to approve a plan requiring “the government of Iran to recognize Jerusalem as the permanent capital of the Palestinian people…”(“Iranian Parliament recognizes Jerusalem as ‘Capital of
Palestine’,” JP, 27 Dec. 2017). The very next day protests started in Iran’s second largest city, and spread rapidly to other locations, including its capital Tehran, and the holy city of Qom. Iranians were not only protesting harsh economic situations – although that is what most Western media said. Iranian expert M. Amir,former head of Israel Broadcasting Authority’s Persian language division, said that in 2009, Iranians protested “fraudulent presidential election results,”with rallies confined to Tehran and “suppressed with extreme brutality.”
Now protesters openly call “for the leader to be removed and the regime to fall.” They want work and food, and also demand a halt to “financial support for Hezbollah, Hamas and the… Syrian regime, while brazenly…calling for the regime’s demise,” with cries of “‘Death to the dictator,”Khamenei [Iran’s Supreme leader] next,’ ‘Leave Syria and take care of the Iranian people’, ‘Let go of Palestine,’and ‘Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I’d give my life only for Iran’.” (“This time it’s serious,” M. Amir, Israel Hayom Op-ed, 31 Dec. 2017). The above are partial answers to prayer which embolden us to press on interceding until we see their fulfillment – with the goal being the manifestation of God’s glory (Psa. 115:1-3).
UN – a theater of the absurd?
A week before Trump’s Jerusalem recognition, the UN’s General Assembly passed another anti-Israel resolution, denying all Israeli ties to that city, saying “any actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal and therefore null and void and have no validity whatsoever.”(“UNGA Declares Israel Has No Ties to Jerusalem,” ICEJ News, 1 Dec. 2017).After a UN Security Council debate on Trump’s move, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danon told them they could vote repeatedly, yet”Jerusalem is, has been, and always will be the capital of Israel.” Every other nation”has the right to designate its capital city,”but for Israel “this most basic national right is questioned and condemned.”(“Danon: Jerusalem is, has been, and always will be the capital of Israel,” JP, 18 Dec. 2017)
The next day, the US “vetoed a resolution” backed by the 14 other Security Council members demanding that Trump annul his Jerusalem decision. This exposed “the depth of global opposition”to this move and shows how fast end-time events are occurring. America’s UN Ambassador Haley called the resolution “an insult,” saying “the UN forced the US to cast a veto simply because of its right to decide where to put its embassy,” therefore the veto was basically “in defense of American sovereignty…”. Britain’s UN Ambassador said, “The status of Jerusalem should be determined through a negotiated settlement” and “ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states.”So what’s to be negotiated if the world has already decided the outcome?
There was a humorous moment when the Russian deputy UN ambassador said with all seriousness,”We are ready to become an honest mediator,”between Israel and the Arabs. Seriously? Afterward, Bibi in a Facebook video said Haley “lit a candle of truth,” and compared her with the Maccabees of Chanukah fame, saying, “One defeated the many, truth defeated lies.”(“US vetoes UN resolution against Trump’s Jerusalem decision,” Israel Hayom, 19 Dec. 2017). Days later, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution rejecting Trump’s Jerusalem decision: 128 yeas, 9 nays, and 35 abstentions. World Jewish Congress President Lauder said, “It is ironic that the UNGA has chosen the unusual step of holding an emergency session, of which it has convened only 10 since its creation, to discuss this issue, when there are so many other global matters in need of urgent attention.”(“WJC laments UNR: ‘Jerusalem is the indisputable capital…’,” www.worldjewishcongress.org, 21 Dec. 2017)
EU continues to stand vs. God’s revealed will
EU’s foreign policy chief Mogherini, and many other EU leaders, rejected Trump’s Jerusalem move, saying the only “solution to the conflict…is based on two states with Jerusalem as the capital of both.”Again, the outcome has already been decided. (“PM to EU: US recognition of Jerusalem makes peace possible,” Israel Hayom, 11 Dec. 2017)
Meeting with EU foreign ministers, Netanyahu disputed two fallacies: “that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the heart of the [ME’s] troubles, and that settlements are at the heart of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.”He asked if anyone really believed this.”The poor guy who set himself on fire in Tunisia,”which ignited the Arab Spring, “did he really care” about an Israeli-Arab agreement? As for settlements, he said “opposition to Zionism started before the settlements and it continues after they’re dismantled.”
Asked if he accepts a two-state solution, he asked what kind of state would a Palestine be –”Costa Rica or Yemen?” The first is a stable Central American democracy, while “the latter is in a state of war-blighted anarchy.”Confronting these ministers, he asked, “How many times have you…told the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state?” (“Skeptical Netanyahu to EU on Palestinian state…?” TOI, 11 Dec. 2017)
Final thought and personal challenge
God is fulfilling His declared will boldly before the world.”Yes, I will rejoice over them [exiled Israel] to do them good, and I will plant them in this land in truth with My whole heart and with My whole soul.” (Jer. 32:41) Verses 42-44 then describe the geographical area, which is all the land west of the Jordan River. As this is the only place in Scripture where God commits to doing something with His whole heart and soul, how can any of His born-again children resist this, or even be lukewarm over the issue of Israel? This would grieve the Holy Spirit. We urge you to stand with what God is doing – with all of your heart and soul.